Method for portioning and depositing ground tobacco into containers

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and method for portioning and depositing processed tobacco into a container. The method may include compressing the processed tobacco into a column, wherein a portion is disposed in a shuttle pocket, moving the shuttle pocket to a second position and placing the sliced compressed tobacco into a container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application of, and claims priority to, provisional application 60/892,224, filed on Feb. 28, 2007, entitled “A METHOD FOR PORTIONING AND DEPOSITING GROUND TABACCO INTO CONTAINERS.”The specification of the provisional application is hereby incorporated in its entirety, except for those sections, if any, that are inconsistent with this specification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention pertain to methods for dispensing smokeless tobacco into containers, and in particular to filling ground, shredded, or other processed tobacco into various containers including but not limited to containers such as tins described specifically herein or pouches that may be filled vertically, horizontally or otherwise.

BACKGROUND

The tobacco industry has evolved over the years to include, in addition to cigarettes and cigars, smokeless tobacco products such as shredded tobacco leaves (chew) and more concentrated ground tobacco, and other smokeless products such as snuff. The portioning and depositing of snuff product has proven particularly difficult due to its physical nature as a finely ground material. The product is not easily portioned by hand or placed into shallow tins, which are containers constructed of metal or plastic, and which are the preferred method of packaging for this product.

Historical methods of filling snuff have typically utilized the tin as the portioning vessel with tamping of the product being performed after receipt in the tin. Another technique is creating a sheet of product (akin to a cookie dough-like substance) and stamping out portions for placing into the tin. In both cases a precise portion is not volumetrically formed in a separate vessel prior to transfer into the tin. Such historical processes result in significantly inconsistent fill weights as the ground tobacco being filled into the tin absent compression in a staging vessel does not eliminate air voids within the product causing inconsistent levels of compression and fill.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A illustrates a cross-section of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-section of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a compressed column in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of dispensing ground tobacco into a container in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments in accordance with the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments of the present invention; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.

The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of embodiments of the present invention.

For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “A/B” means A or B. For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “A and/or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” means “(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).” For the purposes of the present invention, the phrase “(A)B” means “(B) or (AB),” that is, A is an optional element.

The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present invention, are synonymous.

Embodiments of the present invention may include methods for filling containers 120 (including tins, pouches, or other tobacco holding containers) with processed tobacco products by volumetrically creating a more exact volume for weight control portion (processed tobacco puck or cake 140). As used herein, the term “processed tobacco” may include, but is not limited to tobacco that has been ground, shredded, pulverized or otherwise reconfigured (including, e.g. snuff, chew, pipe tobacco, roll-your own cigarette tobacco, and other non-processed rolled tobacco products). The processed tobacco puck or cake 140 may form a column shape. Methods and devices used in accordance with various embodiments use pre-compression/staging in a separate staging vessel independent of the product container 120 itself. Here generally compressed processed tobacco may be formed into weight controlled portions prior to depositing the processed tobacco cake or puck 140 into the container 120. Using intermediate staging vessels in accordance with various embodiments may result in relatively accurate weight controls being more routinely achieved.

Various embodiments may include a compression process in a staging vessel prior to depositing the processed tobacco 130 into the product container 120. In various embodiments, an inclusive and/or separate device may be used to accomplish such pre-portioning under compression and pre-staged in a separate vessel. In such embodiments, a collection bore 58 defined by a collection column 55 and/or an insert 50, and a shuttle pocket 110 may help deposit a relatively precise volumetrically/weight controlled cake/puck of processed tobacco 130 into the product container 120. One embodiment for accomplishing this volumetric pre-portioning and depositing is described below and illustrated in the attached drawings.

Several variations whereby a compressed processed tobacco puck or cake 140 may be created prior to depositing into the product container 120. In one embodiment, conveying by way of a transfer mechanism, such as a conveyor or auger, of loose processed tobacco 130 material into a filling basin 10 (e.g., either rotating or in line) may be used. Such mechanisms may have bottom holes with tubes suspended there from, thereby creating a collection bore 58 whose height may contain from one to several portions tall of processed tobacco puck 140. The processed tobacco may be channeled into the collection bore 58 through a variety of means, including but not limited to baffles, tapered walls, etc.

Once material is deposited into the collection bore 58, a first or upper plunger 20 or other tamping device may be introduced to the column of product to provide compression and to eliminate air voids. This may tend to not only normalize and create relatively precise weight control of the processed tobacco pucks 140, but also serve as a way of moving product through the system. In various embodiments, an additional compression may be performed after receipt of the processed tobacco pucks 140 in a container 120 by a tamper 100. In such embodiments, pre-compression by the upper plunger 20 may serve to improve weight or volume control and reduce air voids in the processed tobacco pucks 140. Additional compression after receipt of the processed tobacco pucks 140 in a container 120 may serve to provide desired density of the processed tobacco pucks 140 in the container 120.

At the bottom of the collection column 55 a shuttle pocket 110 may be positioned in line with the collection bore 58. In various embodiments, shuttle pockets 110 may be disposed around a circumference of a rotary carousel basin, or in various embodiments, along a line of a linear basin transfer mechanism. Shuttle pockets 110, having an opening at a top and a bottom, may be sized to cooperate with the collection column 55 and/or insert 50 to help define and/or extend the collection bore 58 in an amount generally equal to the weight and/or volume portion of processed tobacco puck 140, resulting in processed tobacco column 160. The bottom of the shuttle pocket may be temporarily closed in order to allow receipt of the tobacco puck 140.

In various embodiments, the bottom opening of the shuttle pocket 110 may temporarily closed by a second plunger 40, which ascends from the bottom into the shuttle pocket 110. In various embodiments, the lower plunger 40 may dictate the target volume within the shuttle pocket 110. In some embodiments the second plunger 40 may ride on an adjustable cam 150 allowing it to move up into the shuttle pocket 110 to a desired position and move away to allow the shuttle pocket 110 to move away from the collection column 55 to a transfer station. In various embodiments, other pushing and/or compressing techniques may be used, and may be adapted to engage the processed tobacco 130 from a variety of directions and in a variety of configurations.

Between each assembly of shuttle pocket 110 having a desired compressed volume of processed tobacco puck 140 and the upper portion of compressed processed tobacco column 160 contained in the collection bore 58, a cutter such as a knife 70 may be passed above the upper opening of the shuttle pocket 110, which may serve to separate the upper and lower portions of the compressed tobacco column 160 and allow the shuttle pocket 110 to pass away from the collection column 55, thereby “shuttling” the specified portion to a transfer station.

In a rotary embodiment of the device, the knife 70 may be stationary, while in a linear version the knife 70 may be activated by way of, for example, an electronic motor, or air or hydraulic piston. With its compressed portion of processed tobacco puck 140, shuttle pocket 110 may be shuttled out/over to the transfer station, which in various embodiments may be an opening in the shuttle plate 60 upon which the shuttle pocket 110 rides. A pushing member such as a tamper 100 may descend through the shuttle pocket 110 and shuttle plate opening moving the pre-staged compressed (thus generally volumetrically and weight controlled) portion into the product containers 120. In various embodiments, the tamper 100 may not descend through the shuttle plate opening when the compressing device is independent from the transfer station. In such embodiments, the shuttle pocket 110 may be placed over the container 120 through a container deck 90 and/or other suitable support. In various embodiments, the upper plunger 20, shuttle pocket 110, tamper 100 and lower plungers 40 may all move to their respective starting positions by way of cams, for example, in the rotary version or combinations of cams and motors or variously driven pistons in the in-line version. It may be appreciated that other mechanisms may be used to control the movement of such components.

Complementing the above descriptions, a more detailed process explanation of one embodiment follows, with reference to FIGS. 1-5: FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a filling apparatus in accordance with various embodiments. Processed tobacco 130 may be transported to a filling basin 10 by a variable speed conveyor (not shown) that may be regulated by a control system (FIG. 5, 502). The controller may utilize a sensor in the filling basin 10, which monitors the level of processed tobacco 130. The conveyor speed may be adjusted based on the amount of processed tobacco 130 in the filling basin. One or more baffles 30 may help channel the processed tobacco 130 into openings of the collection bore 58 (FIG. 5, 504), which in various embodiments may be adjustable in diameter through the use of an insert 50. In various embodiments, an insert 50 may not be required.

A shuttle pocket 110 may be positioned below the collection column 55, such that processed tobacco 130 may be disposed in the collection bore 58 and the shuttle pocket 110, creating processed tobacco column 160 (FIG. 3B). A second or lower plunger 40 may be disposed within the shuttle pocket 110 to help control the weight and/or volume of puck 140. The processed tobacco 130 may be compressed between an upper plunger 20 and a lower plunger 40.

FIG. 2 illustrates the next stage of dispensing a processed tobacco 130 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A column bottom, for example, lower plunger 40 may be forced up into the shuttle pocket 110 at a predetermined distance. The movement of the lower plunger 40 may be controlled in a variety of ways. For example, the lower plunger 40 may ride on an adjustable cam 150 and cause the lower plunger 40 to rise a specified height in order to help determine the target fill weight or the target column height. The lower plunger 40 may pass through sized holes in a shuttle plate 60 (FIG. 5, 506). In various embodiments, such movements of the lower plunger 40 may not be required to determine the target fill weight or the target column height, and a column bottom may be placed below the collection column 55, which closes an opening of the shuttle pocket 110. Fill weight variances may be reduced and/or eliminated through controlled compression of the processed tobacco 130 between the lower and upper plungers 40 and 20 (FIG. 5, 508), or in other embodiments between upper plunger 20 and a column bottom (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3B, compressed column 160 of processed tobacco 130 may represent several container portions of a processed tobacco puck 140. Compression levels may be adjustable over a wide range to allow for varying conditions and product configuration. In various embodiments, it may be also possible to have an additional compression stage after receipt of the processed tobacco pucks 140 in a container 120 to provide or adjust a final desired density or more accurate density.

FIG. 3A illustrates the following stage of dispensing a processed tobacco 130 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The shuttle pocket 110 may be located between the collection column 55 and shuttle plate 60, during the compression phase of the filling cycle. The collection column 55, shuttle pocket 110 and inner shuttle plate hole may be in line with respect to each other. A cutter or knife 70 may slice the compressed column 160 of processed tobacco 130 at a point between the bottom of the collection column 55 and the top of the shuttle pocket 110 (FIG. 3B, line AA), leaving a determined volume, height, and/or weight of processed tobacco 130 in the shuttle pocket 110 (FIG. 5, 510).

FIG. 4 illustrates the following stage of dispensing a processed tobacco 130 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A horizontal member 80, such as a cam may move the shuttle pocket 110 and its portioned processed tobacco puck 140 outward to position over an outer hole in the shuttle plate 60 (FIG. 5, 512). The horizontal member 80 may be adapted to engage the bottom of the collection column 55 and/or insert 50 when used to prevent remaining processed tobacco 130 from falling without another shuttle pocket 110 properly disposed below the collection column 55. In various embodiments, a second shuttle pocket may move into position immediately following the removal of first shuttle pocket 110.

Disposed beneath an outer hole 82 is the container deck 90, which supports a container 120 in a position to receive the processed tobacco puck 140. The portioned processed tobacco puck 140 may be placed in the container 120 with, for example, a downward stroke of a tamper 100 (FIG. 5, 514). The tamper 100 may provide an additional compression to the processed tobacco puck 140 according to need. In some embodiments, a secondary cam may be used to return the shuttle pockets 110 to their previous position in preparation for a repeat cycle. In various embodiments, according to the configuration of the rotary carousel basin or the line of a linear basin transfer mechanism, the shuttle pockets 110 may not be moved to their previous position, but may be moved to another position instead, where the processed tobacco 130 may be disposed in the shuttle pockets 110 from another collection column 55.

It may be appreciated that portioning and filling methods in accordance with various embodiments may also be used to fill more coarsely ground tobacco (such as chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, roll-your own cigarette tobacco, and other non-processed rolled tobacco products) into various containers 120, such as tins, pouches, etc., which are being filled vertically, or horizontally, or otherwise.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance with the present invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof. 

1. An apparatus comprising: a collection column; a shuttle pocket having a first position alignable with the collection column, the shuttle pocket having an open first end and a closable second end, the open first end adapted to receive a processed material from the collection column; a plunger adapted to engage the collection column, wherein the plunger compresses the processed material into a compressed column, at least a first portion of the compressed column being disposed within the shuttle pocket; and wherein the shuttle pocket is movable to a second position disposed over a container.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a column bottom configured to removably engage the closable second end of the shuttle pocket, and wherein the plunger and the column bottom cooperate to compress the processed material into the compressed column.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the column bottom is a second plunger adapted to engage the shuttle pocket a desired amount to set the volume of the first portion of the compressed column.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an inner geometrical shape of the shuttle pocket is approximately same as an inner shape of the container.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a knife adapted to cut the compressed column at an upper portion of the shuttle pocket to form the first portion of the compressed column disposed in the shuttle pocket and further forming a second portion of the compressed column disposed in the collection column.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a height of the first portion of the compressed column is predetermined according to a height of the container and the height of the compressed column is higher than twice height of the first portion.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a shuttle plate having a hole providing an entrance for the first portion of the compressed column in the shuttle pocket; and a moving member adapted to move the shuttle pocket from the first position to the second position, and wherein the moving member included a first surface that closes an opening of the collection column when the shuttle pocket is moved from the first position to the second position.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an insert disposed in the collection column to modify a geometrical configuration of the collection column.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tamper disposed above the second position adapted to force the first portion of the compressed column into the container.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the tamper further compresses the first portion once inside the container.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fill basing adapted to feed processed material to the collection column.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a baffle configured to urge the processed material towards the collection column.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is a tin or a pouch.
 14. A method comprising: filling a processed material into a collection column compressing the processed material into a compressed column using a first plunger, wherein at least a first portion of the compressed column is disposed in a shuttle pocket alignable with the collection column; moving the shuttle pocket and the first portion of the compressed column from a first position below the collection column to a second position over a container; and pushing the first portion of the compressed column into the container.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: slicing the compressed column into the first portion and a second portion at a plane between the shuttle pocket and the collection column.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising moving a second plunger into an open bottom end of the shuttle pocket through a first hole in a shuttle plate to set a height of the first portion of the compressed column.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising setting the height of the first portion of the compressed column substantially equal to a height of the container.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein pushing the first portion of the compressed column into the container includes placing the first portion of the compressed column into the container via a third plunger adapted to push the first portion through a second hole in the shuttle plate.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the compressing the processed material into a compressed column includes reducing weight variances of the processed material.
 20. The method of claim 14, further comprising channeling the processed material into an opening of the collection column by one or more baffles.
 21. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting an inner configuration of the collection column by placing an insert into the collection column.
 22. The method of claim 14, further comprising closing an opening of the collection column when the shuttle pocket is not located at the first position. 